Wavell Community Junior School

Inspection Report Wavell Community Junior School

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121343 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292085 Inspection number 28 February °1 March 2007 Inspection dates Ralph Higgs Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Wavell Road School address Junior Type of school Catterick Garrison Community School category North Yorkshire DL9 3BJ 7 °11 Age range of pupils 01748 832298 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01748 830126 Fax number 191 Number on roll (school) Mr David Lee Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Greenaway Headteacher 28 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292085 28 February °1 March 2007 7°11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized school is situated within a garrison town. The great majority of pupils are drawn from Army families and their mobility is exceptionally high. A minority of pupils stays in the school throughout Key Stage 2, and more than half only attend for two years before leaving in Year 6. Many pupils enter or leave during the school year. There is little economic disadvantage. Most pupils are members of the families of non-commissioned ranks. However, these pupils experience the effects of long periods of family separation caused by tours of duty. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage; a very small number speaks English as an additional language. A new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed since the last inspection, and most of the staff are new to the school. The school has achieved a number of

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Description of the school

awards which recognise its work. These include the Healthy Schools award, Arts Mark Gold, the Basic Skills Quality Mark, and Investors in People status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school which has a number of good features. This judgement matches the school's own evaluation. The headteacher provides good leadership with the increasingly effective support of the governing body. Consequently, improvement since the last inspection has been good. The school has successfully tackled areas where improvement has been hard to achieve due to the large and rapid turnover of pupils. Standards are rising, particularly in English and mathematics, and teaching is improving. The staff team is committed to the success of the school. These factors show that the school has a good capacity to further improve. Pupils' academic achievement is satisfactory. New pupils settle rapidly because, as they rightly say, staff are helpful and other pupils are friendly. The attainment of the pupils who take the national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 is broadly average,

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Grade: 3

although a significant minority are well below average. About a quarter of Year 6 pupils have recently entered school, and some have little previous experience of the National Curriculum. However, all groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress to reach broadly average standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils work and play confidently together. They enjoy school and say they like the team spirit and happy atmosphere. This is reflected in their good attendance and punctuality. Pupils behave well in class and around the school, showing that they know how to keep safe. Their awareness of how to lead healthy lifestyles and how to keep fit is good. These qualities are promoted effectively through a good, relevant curriculum and the good personal guidance and support provided by a very caring staff team. Although the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, there is some

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Grade: 3

good teaching in all year groups. It is underpinned by good relationships and detailed lesson planning. However, there are inconsistencies which limit pupils' overall progress. These are caused by unevenness in the pace and challenge of lessons, and some relative weaknesses in the marking of pupils' work and the feedback they receive in lessons. Pupils have a sound, and some, a good understanding of what they should be aiming for. However, targets for improvement are not always sharply focused on what needs to be done next. In some classes, there are also limited opportunities for pupils to be involved in assessing and evaluating their own work. Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving. The school has an accurate appreciation of what still needs to be done to improve standards and achievement. The new leadership team is strongly focused on school improvement. The school is quick to make changes when they are needed. For example, the creation of an additional

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Grade: 3

class in Year 6 has secured improvements to pupils' learning and progress. The school keeps a close check on its work so that improvements stay on track. Hence, the new personal development programme is working well as its impact has been carefully evaluated. The school provides satisfactory value for money. 2 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching, providing all groups of pupils with work that is consistently challenging, so that they achieve well. • Ensure that the marking of pupils' work consistently provides specific guidance on what to do next to improve. • Involve pupils more effectively in assessing their work and evaluating their learning to help them make good progress.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' make satisfactory but uneven progress from their different points of entry to the time they leave the school. The school acts promptly to assess their needs when they enter to determine how to make appropriate provision for them. This is done well and helps pupils overcome the barriers to learning associated with frequent changes to their education. For example, a high proportion of pupils in the current Year 6 entered with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and some presented challenging behaviour. Sensitive and effective teaching, and good teamwork with teaching assistants, has secured satisfactory progress in their work. There have been fluctuations in the results of national tests in Year 6 in recent years, but the results in English and mathematics have been rising faster than the national trend. Standards in writing have been consistently lower than in reading. However, newly introduced teaching techniques are bringing rapid improvement to the standard

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Grade: 3

of pupils writing, and the gap is narrower than it was. Results in science had fallen behind those of the other subjects but effective action has been taken to improve those aspects which were weak, and current standards are broadly average. The school has difficulty in setting performance targets for attainment in national tests because of the high turnover of pupils. However, it has recognised that recent improvements show that it can set its sights higher in the future.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Spiritual and moral development is fostered well through visits and visitors to the school. The curriculum programme designed to promote pupils' emotional development is helping them understand and express their feelings. Pupils get on well with each other and are cheerful and polite when talking to visitors. They feel at home in the school which values all of them equally. They enjoy showing initiative, for example, in leading playtime clubs for other pupils. These include, a popular traditional dance club led by several Nepalese girls. Attendance is consistently above the national average. Pupils are developing into good citizens, with older pupils, in particular, accepting many responsibilities and carrying out duties sensibly. They understand that they are part of the whole-school community 3 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Grade: 2

and value having a voice through the school council. Fundraising events to support various charities are enthusiastically supported. Pupils are soundly developing the basic skills that will help to ensure they grow into responsible adults.

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Grade: 3

Classrooms are well-organised and welcoming. Teachers set clear expectations for learning and behaviour so that pupils usually work productively. Teaching is well informed and is often enthusiastic. Teachers are effectively introducing some new methods, for example, for the teaching of English and investigations in science. Teaching assistants contribute well to the quality of learning, particularly for low ability pupils. However, work is set which does not always stretch the most able pupils. Sometimes, the pace of lessons is slow and pupils make limited progress. On a minority of occasions, when the lesson fails to engage pupils' interest, their attention wanders and the quality of their work is impaired. There are some good features to the assessment of pupils' work but there are also inconsistencies. In some lessons, pupils' learning is not checked frequently or systematically enough. The opportunities provided for pupils to be involved in assessing

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Grade: 3

their own work vary from class to class. Whilst some marking is good, and pupils are given specific points for improvement, some comments are too general or only give vague praise. Consequently, pupils do not always have a clear enough understanding of their targets or what to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is tailored well to meets pupils' various needs. The school is very aware of potential difficulties presented by the frequent changes in schooling experienced by their pupils. Hence, a rich curriculum has been developed that benefits from a strong and relevant focus on improving standards in English and mathematics. The use of computers to extend learning is well established, although some teachers use them more than others. Pupils appreciate the various ways that teachers help them make connections between different subjects. 'This saves us time and makes learning new topics interesting', one pupil said. There is good provision for art and design, physical education and sport, and for personal and citizenship education. The recent introduction of French has extended opportunity, and pupils enjoy the challenge of learning something new. Educational visits, residential experiences and visitors to the

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Grade: 2

school strongly enrich the curriculum. A good range of clubs and activities outside of normal lessons adds to pupils' enjoyment of school. 4 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils feel safe and valued because the school puts a high priority on their well- being. The procedures the school has in place for keeping pupils safe from harm are thorough and robust. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and other vulnerable pupils, are well supported. The high number of teaching assistants enables the school to give pupils good levels of individual attention. The school liaises very effectively with Army welfare services and other external agencies to ensure additional support is provided when it is needed. Considerable efforts are made to involve parents in their child's learning and ensure that new families feel welcomed. The ready availability of fresh fruit and water, a 'breakfast club', and the emphasis on organised physical activity show the school's commitment to improving pupils' health and well-being. The system to track pupils' progress works satisfactorily, although the school recognises that the present system

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Grade: 2

is not easy to use. It is trialling more efficient ways of using records of pupils' progress so that the support can be given more swiftly if they fall behind.

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Grade: 3

Although this is satisfactory overall, there are some emerging strengths. For example, the deputy headteacher's expertise as a lead teacher for the local authority is bringing improvements to the quality of teaching and learning. Performance management is skilfully used to promote school, as well as personal, professional development. Newly appointed staff receive a thorough induction to help them quickly become part of the staff team. Consequently, the whole school is pulling together successfully to bring about school improvement. Self-evaluation is satisfactory, partly because new middle leaders are learning their roles. The school acknowledges that the data it keeps on pupils' progress could be used more effectively to help overcome inconsistencies in teaching and learning. The school has had some difficulty retaining governors due to its circumstances. However, the governing body discharges its responsibilities satisfactorily and the new chair of

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Grade: 3

governors is working closely with the school to help improve pupils' achievement. The school effectively uses the good links that it has with other institutions to extend opportunities for learning and to aid developments. For example, recent projects undertaken with a local network of schools have improved pupils' understanding of problem solving in mathematics. The views of pupils and parents are considered seriously and have led to advances in provision. The installation of new playground equipment has, as pupils report, made, 'playing out more fun'. 5 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the warm welcome that you gave us when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our discussions with you, which were very helpful. These are the good things we found out about your school, which provides you with a satisfactory education: • the staff are good at helping you to find your feet when you join the school • you are right to say that the school is a friendly and happy place to be • the school is helping you well to grow up to be confident and mature young citizens • you clearly enjoy school because you attend regularly and are keen to take part in what the school offers • you clearly know how to keep healthy, to become fit and to stay safe • you behave well and are helpful to each other and to adults • the staff really care for you and are always on hand to help • you have lots of interesting things to do in lessons, at playtimes and after school • the headteacher, staff and governors are working hard to improve your education.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To help you even more, we have asked the school to: • find ways to make teaching and learning good in all lessons and setting you higher challenges so you can do as well as possible • ensure that the marking of your work is always helpful so you know what to do to improve; you will have to try hard to follow your teacher's suggestions • give you more opportunities to be involved in assessing your own work and to think about what you have learned in each lesson. 9 Inspection Report: Wavell Community Junior School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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